Jennifer Holcomb is the director of memory support at Cross Keys Village in New Oxford. After reading “Alzheimer’s: A mental, financial toll” in the Nov. 22 edition of The Evening Sun, she felt concerned that not enough awareness was out there for support groups in the area.

Holcomb is the director of several community dementia support groups. She hosts groups that take place on the first Friday and last Thursday of each month, as well as an eight week program starting March 8. We talked to her about what they are, how to get involved and why she is hosting the programs.

Q: What is the difference between the groups that meet once a month and the eight-week program?

JH: The eight week program is for early-onset dementia only. You also have to register and go through screening for that program. We do the screening because someone may progress too far and may not benefit from what we’re doing. We also try and cap this program at about 25 people. That’s not to say in the future we won’t do more, but right now I think it would lose the value of the group to have more than that.

They’re all very similar in format. There’s a combination of education and support. Education can consist of any topic related to the disease process while support is working with people so they can build relationships and know they’re not alone.

Each week has an educational topic that we share with both the care person and the person living with the disease. For the first hour, the group is together, then we split up after for the second hour. This provides support separate from the care person and the one suffering from dementia. It encourages discussion and support within the group and helps build relationships.

Q: What has the feedback been like?

JH: The feedback is wonderful. I have had individuals who attended the group and come to me after and are so grateful for the education and the ability to to build relationships. To know they have someone to call as the disease progresses, whether it’s us or someone from the group, it means a lot.People are coming from Gettysburg, Spring Grove, Hanover, we’ve also had some from Maryland out here.

Q: When you say people are coming from Maryland, that leads me to believe that there aren’t a lot of other groups out there. Have people mentioned that to you? Have scheduling difficulties led to inconsistent numbers?

JH: To my knowledge, the only other early stage dementia support group is in Lancaster. That’s the only one the Alzheimer's Association website has listed.

The support groups on first Friday and last Thursday have been existing for years, but that’s been revamped and now revamped again as I take over. In the early stages I reached out to the Alzheimer’s Association and people in the industry and said I see a need in our area for this. I was fortunate enough to work with Hanover Hospital and the association to pull that altogether. I’m hoping that the word will continue to spread and more people continue to come out.

With scheduling, what I try and do is ask, "Is this a good time? What do you think is going to work best?" for the other people. We find that people really like the morning hours.

Q: With the eight-week program, what happens when you’re done?

JH: I’m working on creating a place for people to go called the “Memory Cafe” so they don’t feel like they’ve just been dropped from the program and conversation. This will allow for others to stay in touch if they so choose.

Q: Why did you start this?

JH: I’m very passionate about this. It’s hard to explain, but when I first walked into long-term care and working with seniors nine years ago, I fell in love. It excites me because they need the help more than anyone, and the families need support and direction. It makes me feel happy and fulfilled to do this.

It’s also really important because it’s such an overwhelming process. When there’s the diagnosis, it's really hard for them to absorb and understand what to do next. To go find the direct person you need to talk to and find other people working through same thing, that’s not easy to do.

We also do this to try and find joy. We have to be able to laugh at things that aren’t a big deal. There’s such a stigma, and our goal is to break down the stigma and support people where they’re at. It’s hard, you feel alone out there.